Bessent, Greer meet He Lifeng in Paris

Trade talks are back in the room. That is the immediate news. Scott Bessent and Jamieson Greer met China’s vice premier He Lifeng and trade negotiator Li Chenggang in Paris in the sixth round of U.S.-China economic talks, and both sides came out using the same soothing word — “constructive.” But the point of this meeting was not to solve the trade war in one sitting. It was to keep the relationship from sliding further before Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet later in May. ### Why Paris? Paris has turned into the quiet holding room for this relationship. The March round there was already doing the same job — lower the temperature, test possible deals, and sketch out things the two presidents might bless later. That earlier round reportedly covered farm goods, managed trade, investment, and possible formal mechanisms to keep disputes from blowing up every few weeks. ### Who are the key players here? On the U.S. side, Bessent handles the macroeconomic and financial side, while Greer owns the trade file. On the Chinese side, He Lifeng is Xi’s top economic lieutenant, and Li Chenggang is the senior trade negotiator. So this was not a photo-op with deputies. It was the core group that can shape what actually lands on the leaders’ desks. ### What were they actually trying to do? Basically, buy structure and time. Earlier contacts between the two sides were described as candid and complaint-heavy, which tells you both governments were still airing grievances rather than closing gaps. The Paris meetings appear aimed at something narrower but more channel for trade and investment disputes. ### Why does the summit matter so much? Because the people in Paris can only get so far. Reuters’ broader timeline says Trump’s Beijing trip was pushed to mid-May because of the Iran war. That delay matters because a lot of the Paris work seems designed as pre-summit plumbing — useful, but not final until Trump and Xi decide what they want to sign off on. ### So did anything big get fixed? Probably not. “Constructive” in trade diplomacy usually means the meeting did not blow up. It does not mean the hard stuff is settled. The unresolved fights are the same ones that have haunted this relationship for years — Chinese industrial policy, market access, retaliation under Section tariff regime. ### Why is this harder than it sounds? Because both sides think time may help them. Some Chinese exporters have already diversified into Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa, which weakens the old assumption that U.S. tariffs alone can force a quick concession. And Washington still wants leverage without looking soft. That makes limited tactical deals possible, but a real reset much harder. ### What should readers watch next? Watch for specifics, not adjectives. If the two sides announce an extension of tariff suspensions, a farm-goods package, or a formal trade-management channel, that would mean Paris produced something real. If all you keep hearing is “candid” and “constructive,” then the talks are doing damage control, not resolution. ### Bottom line? Paris kept the floor from dropping out. That matters. But the real test is still the Trump-Xi meeting in mid-May — because that is where symbolic calm either turns into a deal, or runs out of road.